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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · chip · field · kick · net · swing · branch · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — after costs
  5. kick — in football
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. branch — a division
  9. swing — to play on
  10. field — farmland
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — to eat
  14. net — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. net — for catching
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chip — for betting
  23. field — for sport
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com